America's top diplomat has reaffirmed the U.S. is still working hard to get North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program.
Mike Pompeo also expressed hope that a second North Korea-U.S. summit could happen early next year.
Lee Seung-jae reports.
In an interview with a Kansas-based radio show Thursday,... U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reiterated Washington's efforts to follow through on North Korea's commitment to dismantle its nuclear weapons program.
Pompeo also expressed hope that a second Kim-Trump summit could take place soon,... saying Washington is hopeful the two leaders will (quote) "get together not too long after the first of the year and make even further progress on taking this threat away from the U.S."
His remarks come after the North's state-run news agency issued a blistering commentary hours earlier,... slamming the U.S. for it's (quote) "misguided" understanding of denuclearizing of the Korean Peninsula.
The Korean Central News Agency added that, nowhere in their joint statement signed in Singapore in June did the two leaders commit to the "denuclearization of North Korea".
It stressed that denuclearization refers to the Korean Peninsula as a whole, which includes areas where U.S. nuclear weapons are deployed in the South.
The commentary also criticized Pompeo personally for "asserting" that Kim Jong-un committed to the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of North Korea,... calling it "something aghast".
Watchers say recent commentaries by the North's state-run mouthpieces may indicate a delay in the much anticipated second summit between Kim and President Trump.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.